Garment box

ABSTRACT

A fold-up box, that is stocked in flat cardboard sheets, employs one simple flap-tuck in two places for assembly.

11116 States Patent [191 Cha11y Mar.4, 1975 GARMENT BOX [76] Inventor:Russell Chally, 1019 Sprace St.,

Morris, 111. 60450 [22] Filed: Aug. 1, 1973 211 App]. No.2 384,407

52 us. Cl. 229/32, 229/16 R, 229/34 R 51 Int. Cl. B65d 5/26 58 Field ofSearch 229/32, 34 R, 35, 30. 16 R 156] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 10/1919 Baker 229/16 R 6/1923 Stubbs 4/1930 Bachmann 229/16 R X2.220.076 11/1941) Curruth 229/32 X 2.251.565 8/1941 Formun 6 229/16 R3.469.761 9/1969 Howell 229/32 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPL1CAT1ONS 591,4754/1925 France 229/34 R 91.893 6/1958 Norway 229/34 R PrimaryE.\'aminer-Stan1ey N. Gilreath Attorney, Agent. or Firm.10hn L. Parker,Esq.

[57] ABSTRACT A fold-up box, that is stocked in flat cardboard sheets,employs one simple flap-tuck in two places for assembly.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures GARMENT BOX This invention relates topackaging design, more particularly to boxes that are folded up fromdie-cut creased flat stock.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a fold up boxfor garments or the like that offers improvement in the present art. Allof the boxes in use today that are folded up from flat paper stock haveone or more of the following disadvantages: The die-cut and creased boxunit is expensive because the cutting die and/or the creasing machine iscomplicated, some involving curves for tuck-in flaps, creasing runningtogether at odd angles and the like. Some boxes are flat in stock, butare not a single thickness of cardboard. They are doubled over, orcreased and folded before die-cutting and so on. Still other boxes intheir areas of folding employ staples, gluing and the like. All suchfolded stock means fewer units per package and also lends to sagging ofthe pile, awkward handling and the like. Boxes have tuck-in ears orlobes that are not only awkward in assembly where time is of theessence, but creates frustration both for the packer and the customer asthese ears are easily torn or simply ruptured under the application of atightly packed garment. Boxes that have cut outs in which to insert thefingers means that there is an exposure to the interior; an undesirablefeature. Therefore, such boxes simply do not have hand grips.

The present invention features a box that takes the simplest of cuttingand creasing equipment and eliminates staples, glue and the like.Further, the boxes assemble very rapidly in a secure, reliable manner.The single, simple movement of tucking in one flap at each end locks thewhole box into shape and automatically provides a ledge for easilylifting and moving the box by using the ends of the fingers of bothhands.

These and other objects will become evident upon examination of thefollowing specification and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the box unit as manufacturedand packaged;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the box folded up and theflap tucked into the slot; and

FIG. 3 is an outside view of FIG. 2.

Referring to the figures, a garment box is die-cut and creased out ofone piece of paper stock 11. This produces a square or rectangular boxunit having a bottom wall 12, side walls 13, trapezoid shaped end walls14, corner tabs 15, trapezoid shaped tuck-in flaps 16 and tuck-in slots17.

In one creasing operation, two creases 18 provide for folding up sidewalls 13. In the second creasing operation, two creases 19 are made forfolding up end walls 14 and two creases 20 are made for tuck-in flaps16.

The previous description and inspection of the drawing will show thatboth die-cut and creasing operations are extremely simple, therebybringing down the cost of the equipment needed to produce the basic boxunit 10.

Referring in particular to FIGS. 2 and 3, in which the figures clearlyshow the method of assembly, it will be seen that the area 21 issomewhat recessed by virtue of the short projection of flaps 16 throughslots 17. This recess automatically creates a handy grip for the fingertips when lifting and moving about a packaged box.

It will also become obvious that assembly is simple. The packager, withone motion brings both thumbs against both flaps l6, bends the flapswhile pressing the fingers area 21. Since the projection of the marginaledge of flap 16 is only slightly beyond cut 17, the flap snaps intoplace. Once the flaps are in place, the corner tabs 15 are lockedbetween the end walls 14 and the corner area 16a of the flaps, tothereby secure the tabs against rotating into the box or about crease 18as an access.

In manufacture, the complete box will come in separate packages, onepackage having a bottom wall 12 of the desired dimensions and the otherpackage having a bottom wall 12 slightly larger in both directionsserving as the cover. As is done in general practice today the outerunit or cover unit is distinguishable by its markings, decorations,coloring, addition of a built-in cord or ribbon handle and the like. Itshould also be understood that the scope of the invention includes apossible extension to a double unit in which the die and the scoringprovides three side walls 13 and six tabs 15. Whether a whole garmentbox comprises two units as described and shown in the figures or is madeof one unit doubling over both as box and cover using the features ofthe invention, the original cardboard stock is of one thickness only,piling up evenly and economically in the package.

What I claim is:

1. An integral fold-up box for garments or the like comprising a squareor rectangular bottom wall; a pair of upstanding, opposed, side wallsjoined to said bottom by way of fold-up creases, each of said side wallsextending the full length of the bottom and carrying a tab at each endjoined to the side wall by way of a foldin crease, each tab beingdisposed at a right angle to the side wall and extending in thedirection of the opposing side wall, each tab and its associated sidewall thereby forming a corner for the box; a pair of upstanding,opposed, end walls joined to said bottom by way of foldup creases, eachof said end walls having a trapezoidal shape with long and shortparallel sides, the long parallel side of the trapezoid extending thefull width of the bottom and being joined thereto; a pair of tuck-inflaps joined to said short parallel sides of each of said end walls byway of fold-down creases, each of said flaps also having a trapezoidalshape with long and short parallel sides, the long parallel side of eachflap coinciding with and being joined to the short parallel side of eachend wall; and each of said end walls carrying a tuck-in slot disposedparallel to said parallel sides of the end wall, said slot beingslightly longer than said short parallel side of the tuck-in flapwhereby disposition of the marginal edge of the short parallel side ofthe flap within the slot locks the opposing corner tabs at each end ofthe box between the end wall and its associated tuck-in flap.

2. The integral fold-up box of claim 1 in which all of the creases arestraight.

3. The integral fold-up box of claim 1 in which the side walls and tabare quadrilateral in shape.

1. An integral fold-up box for garments or the like comprising a squareor rectangular bottom wall; a pair of upstanding, opposed, side wallsjoined to said bottom by way of fold-up creases, each of said side wallsextending the full length of the bottom and carrying a tab at each endjoined to the side wall by way of a fold-in crease, each tab beingdisposed at a right angle to the side wall and extending in thedirection of the opposing side wall, each tab and its associated sidewall thereby forming a corner for the box; a pair of upstanding,opposed, end walls joined to said bottom by way of fold-up creases, eachof said end walls having a trapezoidal shape with long and shortparallel sides, the long parallel side of the trapezoid extending thefull width of the bottom and being joined thereto; a pair of tuck-inflaps joined to said short parallel sides of each of said end walls byway of fold-down creases, each of said flaps also having a trapezoidalshape with long and short parallel sides, the long parallel side of eachflap coinciding with and being joined to the short parallel side of eachend wall; and each of said end walls carrying a tuck-in slot disposedparallel to said parallel sides of the end wall, said slot beingslightly longer than said short parallel side of the tuck-in flapwhereby disposition of the marginal edge of the short parallel side ofthe flap within the slot locks the opposing corner tabs at each end ofthe box between the end wall and its associated tuck-in flap.
 2. Theintegral fold-up box of claim 1 in which all of the creases arestraight.
 3. The integral fold-up box of claim 1 in which the side wallsand tab are quadrilateral in shape.